Mirror All Geometry

[johni]

Hopefully someone canprovide me some advice! Is it better to model a symetrical part in either a quarter or half section and then mirror all the geometry about the datum plane or to model a part as a whole. It seems that when the 'Mirror All Geometry' is used, it makes it difficult to modify the model later, or to use insert mode. A coworker was using the command on a model he was working on, and when insert mode was used, (Insert before the mirror) the ProE program kept dumping out when trying to get out of insert mode. We are using Wildfire v1.0. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[caddie]

"dumping out" would be a krasch I guess?


In that case it's related to that particular datecode/model or maybe even your graphicscard drivers. If you cannot upgrade to a later datecode and it's not related to graphics, you simply have to work around.


Test graphics by setting config.pro option "graphics" to "win32_gdi",restart proe and try again. If it works => update drivers and remove config option graphics. If not => update proe or workaround problem.


In general I have no recommendations about mirror. It should just work. Period.

 

[Isair]

I could tel that it is better to model whole part then mirror it. Simply because it is more stable when you change something.
But then complicated geometry is better to mirror because it saves time and efforts.
Also I all the time use mirror in sketch when geometry is more complex, this way model is more stable.


In general:
don't use mirrors as much as you can
use mirror in sketch
use mirror only for complicated geometry.

 

[sip]

Hi John I.


Can you remove the mirror feature, do your changes, and then mirror again?


Sip

 

[johni]

Thanks for the replies!! Caddie, you are correct. The ProE program ends abruptly and just shuts down when trying to to get out of insert mode. Sip, I could remove the mirror feature, but there are features after it which will then fail (or be deleted). It just seems to me that this is a command that should be used sparingly. I also agree with Isair that it is better to just mirror in sketch mode. It seems the likelyhood of a major problem arising is reduced. Thanks all for your comments!!

 

[[-Skint-]]

I have also worried about the implications of using the mirror feature, coming from an autocad background, mirror was one of the features that I used the most. Being new to pro-e I find some of the features very frustrating and the mirror tool is one of them.


As I say, I am new to pro-e so most of my models so far have been fairly simple and the mirror feature has worked most times. Guess I am lucky. But I do also wonder how frequently the mirror feature should be used. Surely part of the power of pro-e is that you can create only 1/2 or 1/4 of a complicated part and use the power of the mirroe feature for the rest, we shouldnt worry about it failing should we ?


I plod along slowly at a self taught rate

.

 

[Jacoolo]

I must agree with Isair. If it is not necessary it is better to stay
away of mirror. You must know that feature which is mirrored is hard to
change. For example You can not change, add, delete references. Another
case is problems with modyfing. It is better to not mirror everything
and not to mirror to often

 

[ncprog]

Likewise with Isair. Mirror tool is powerful if references are selected carefully. Most new users model failures come from reference problems of this geometry referencing this geometry thats referencing this geometry and so forth. In stead of painstakingly going through the problem resolve mode which most new users don't understand, they trash the model and start over. My advice is to use as many precreated datums from the existing start model datums and reference your geometry to these datums. This takes a little more time and effort, but is well worth it. Re-editing features become much easier, mirrored or otherwise.


Example of a few pre-established datums to reference to.


Rename the datums so they are recognizable.


View attachment 1598

 

[AHA-D]

All this effort because ProE stinks when it comes to patterning and mirroring. The problem really is that ProE holds on like crazy to any reference you give it and fails to "understand" what you're trying to accomplish. WF2 is a little improvement but even then. I come from another CAD (which I still use for private business) where anything goes, as long as it makes sense. Youfix a holeto one of the base reference planes because you want it aligned and then pattern it around as many times as you want and in any direction. You can't in ProE2001. No, you have to create adatum plane at an angle and fix the hole to that. Then you have to pattern the hole and then you have to switch the base plane to 0

 

[ecirwin]

I would like to add that mirroring surface geometry is very robust, not like mirroring solids. When you mirror a surface, it actually just mirrors the geometry that exists at that point of regeneration. This is what you would expect from solids too, but instead it keeps all the references and sketches and on and on. Next thing you know, you are deleting the mirror, modifying the model, and recreating the model.

WF introduced the ability to change a solid feature to a surface. I have only used this once so far, but it saved me quite a bit of time.

So, yes be cautious about using mirror, but don't hesitate to mirror a surface or quilt. It is only one feature in the model tree, regenerates quickly, and is more robust than most of features in Pro/E.

Don't be afraid to use surfacing instead of solid. It may create a few more features because you have to merge the surfaces together, but the same functionality is available with surfaces as is solids (extrude, sweep, blend, round, draft, etc) and even more with boundary surfaces, patches, etc.

I have been using mirror for surfaces/quilts for 5 years or more and during that time I can only remember 1 mirror feature failing, no matter how much model manipulation I have done. So, go forth and use surface geometry and feel the freedom to mirror without concern.

Eric